Jared meets Abbas, and nothing happens

I read an article this morning that damned near made me choke on my marionberry scone. The first reports of Kid Kush’s meeting with Mahmoud Abbas suggest things didn’t go as per the Donald’s master plan. I know, right? I’m shocked too!

Abbas was left with the impression that the Trump administration was approaching the issue having already “taken sides” against Palestinian grievances. (No kidding?) Amongst other things, Kushner demanded that Abbas condemn attacks on Israelis more forcefully, and that he desist in paying terrorists who kill Israelis.

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SIDEBAR: Unless there’s something else going on that I’m unaware of, this allegation that the Palestinian Authority pays suicide bombers is pure bullshit. That’s a cleverly crafted talking point that skirts the truth. What happens is this: When a terrorist kills Israelis, the IDF sends a bulldozer into the now-liquified killers neighborhood and demolishes his/her house. Even though he’s dead, Netanyahu believes this sends a message to other would-be terrorists. Think twice before you hit the detonator, or your entire family will be homeless.

The PA, being the de facto government of the surviving family, sees it as their responsibility to make sure those survivors aren’t left homeless due to the criminal behavior of one of their clan. So whenever the bulldozers roll in, the PA writes a check to the family so that they can rebuild. I don’t recall how much it is, but I think it was around $25,000.00 in U.S. dollars. Not much, but most Palestinians live in squalor due to the occupation, and that’s enough to build a cinderblock structure with a kitchen, a central room and one or two bedrooms.

So does the Palestinian Authority literally pay terrorists to blow up Israelis? No. That’s false. They pay the surviving family, likely none of whom were guilty of any wrongdoing. A compassionate act, in my opinion.

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Where was I? Oh yeah… So Abbas was insulted by Kid Kush’s presentation which in short, differed from Bibi Netanyahu’s demands not one iota. Stop killing Israelis, stop paying for rebuilt dwellings for grandma and grandpa in Ramallah after we blow them up, and stop bitching about Statehood. In short, behave yourselves.

Curiously, Abbas didn’t jump all over this golden opportunity!

And look at it from Abbas’ perspective. Trump’s new ambassador to Israel is his personal bankruptcy lawyer, David Friedman, an Orthodox Jew. Trump’s special emissary, Jared Kushner, is also an Orthodox Jew. And Trump’s special adviser on the Palestinian/Israeli issue is Jason Greenblatt, also Orthodox, is hardly the voice of reason having long supported the annexation of the West Bank. While it’s entirely feasible for ultra-religious people to be unbiased on this matter, let’s be honest: It’s FAR LESS likely than had Trump assembled a secular team.

Imagine had Abbas said; “How do you do Jared. I’d like for you to meet my negotiating team; this is Osama’s favorite son, Karim, Qaddafi’s brother, Walid, and from the Islamic Council of Iran, Ahmed Khomeini, the late Ayatollah’s spiritual heir. No sir, you can trust them to be unbiased. Pay no attention to their religious leanings.”

No, I’m not saying it’s not okay to be religious. What I AM saying, is that when you’re negotiating secular issues, it’s best to do so with secular negotiators. Trump’s “team” is a joke. And I don’t blame Abbas one bit for being offended.

In short, what the Trump administration offered Mahmoud Abbas was this: Nothing. Do as you’re told, comply with our demands, and maybe one day we’ll revisit all this nonsense about settlements, Statehood and occupation.

Precisely what one would expect from an administration as incompetent as Trump’s.